


The Wonder of You

by PanicFOB



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Elvis Presley - Freeform, F/M, Ignores IW and EG, POV Alternating, POV Second Person, Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-07-28 03:24:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 18,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20057230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PanicFOB/pseuds/PanicFOB
Summary: You work for the Avengers but have never actually met any of them.Steve Rogers falls for the girl across the compound cafeteria to whom he's never actually spoken.Stubbornness, longing, and identity confusion ensues. Inspired by the song The Wonder of You by Elvis Presley (although I prefer the version by Villagers).





	1. When no one else can understand me.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of my new fic! Please go and listen to the song it's inspired by if you haven't heard it before. Also, please give my Bucky/reader fic titled Wish You Were Here a read if you haven't already; it has ten chapters now, and I'll be finishing it up within the next week.

“Did you upload those locations I asked for,” Romanoff asked you over her com.  
“Yes, ma’am. Barton should be able to view the directions now,” you responded from your office back at the Avengers compound.   
“Which location do you think we should hit first, Y/N?” you heard Sergeant Barnes inquire.   
Before you could answer, you heard Stark’s condescending remark over his com, “Isn’t this what we have F.R.I.D.A.Y. for? Why do we need you on the team exactly?”  
You then heard Captain Rogers cut in, “We went over this Tony. We need to have human eyes and ears on us during missions, someone we can trust with intel and to make the logistical decisions we don’t have perspective on. An AI isn’t the same.”  
“Yeah because an AI doesn’t make mistakes.”  
“But an AI doesn’t see nuance. Y/N is a part of the team. Quit being rude,” Rogers paused for a moment before speaking directly to you. “I’m sorry about that. Now, which location should we start at?”  
You gave him your answer, ignoring his apology and the whole argument you had just heard. In the time since Miss Potts had hired you two months ago, you hadn’t met a single one of the Avengers in person, but their voices were intimidating enough. It had come as a surprise to you, too, that they had been looking for a human mind to fill this position. You knew an AI would certainly be more capable, but Pepper had insisted you were right for the part, saying that Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes, and Romanoff had personally requested someone meeting your qualifications. Apparently, there had been some incident where F.R.I.D.A.Y. had made some sort of mistake that didn’t seem like a mistake to her because, as Rogers put it, she couldn’t see nuance. Now, you had settled into a sort of coexistence with the AI: she crosschecked all your decisions and you checked all of hers. Between the two of you, the Avengers were much better informed when going into missions, and any unplanned variables were handled more efficiently.   
You sat quietly, keeping an attentive ear on their current mission while you typed up the briefings for a mission two days from now. “Location one obtained. Wilson and Barnes awaiting pick-up.”   
“Just dropping off Stark and Rhodes, heading back toward you Barnes.” That was Barton, still piloting the jet.   
“Wilson, Barnes, please confirm that you are hidden and safe to await pick up,” you instructed over you com.   
“Confirmed.”  
“Status on location two?”  
“In progress. Going well,” Romanoff and Maximoff confirmed at the same time.  
“Location three?”  
“Working on it, shouldn’t be too long,” Captain Rogers stated.  
“No problems here,” Lang chimed in.  
“Barnes and Wilson have been picked up.”  
“Great. Head to location two, Barton.”

By four in the morning, you were about to pass out at your desk, but the team finally made it back to the compound. You wished them all a good night and shut down everything in your office. You then made your way over to the door that connected your small living quarters. Living in the compound hadn’t been something you really wanted, but with your crazy work hours, it was much more practical. It was toxic for your social life, though. Some days, you were simply too busy to leave the personal space that was your office and apartment. Your meals often consisted of TV dinners. In your three months here, you hadn’t made it over to the employee cafeteria once. It was pretty pathetic.   
The next morning, you sent the next mission briefing to Pepper. You wrote them up, but she was always the one to handle the meetings with the team. You had some downtime, so you decided to call your best friend Lenny, whom you hadn’t gotten to spend any time with since starting this job. She was an elementary school teacher and would surely be on her break right now.   
“Hi stranger,” she said as she answered the phone.  
“Come on, it hasn’t been that long.”  
“It’s been ages since I’ve heard from you, and I’m still waiting on those autographs by the way.”  
You couldn’t tell entirely if she was joking. “I already told you. I don’t see them at all, and even if I did, I wouldn’t ask them for an autograph like some slobbering idiot.”  
“I still don’t understand how you’ve not met them if you’ve been there for months.”  
“I told you, all of our interactions are over the coms.”  
“Are they not curious about who you are? Do they not wonder about the woman giving them information on their missions?”  
“Stark makes it a point to complain about me not being a computer, but other than that, no. They don’t give a shit about who I am as a person, Lenny. All they care about is that I do my job well. They don’t need to know my face or my life in order to trust what I say to them on missions.”  
“So, does that mean you never leave your office/apartment.”  
“I leave occasionally…”  
“Every day for lunch?”  
You had a guilty look on your face, even though Lenny couldn’t see you. “Not for lunch, no.”  
“God, you really need to take more breaks, get some fresh air. Didn’t you say you had made friends with one of the techs in your department?”  
“More like acquaintances really.”   
“Well, you should ask her to get lunch together sometime.”  
“I don’t know…”  
“Y/N,” Lenny said in her motherly tone.  
“Fine, I’ll ask her if she wants to join me in the cafeteria tomorrow,” you then noticed another call coming in. “I have to go, work stuff.”  
You switched the call over, surprised to find Captain Rogers on the other end.  
“Captain Rogers, was there a problem with the briefing?”  
“No, not at all. That’s actually why I called. I wanted to thank you for all the hard work you’ve been putting in. I know it must be difficult when Stark is making rude comments every single mission, but you’ve been doing great despite that… and the mission briefings have been far more clear and thorough since you started writing them, so thanks for that as well.”  
“Oh… um, thank you, sir.”  
“Of course. I’ve gotta go, but just know your work is appreciated around here.” He hung up then, and you leaned back in your office chair feeling slightly breathless. All of the Avengers were intimidating, just from their voices, but Captain Rogers’ voice was just plain dreamy. This was why you had avoided meeting the man so far: you were afraid of the stupid things you might say or do if you had to speak with him in person.


	2. When everything I do is wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day! Yay! I hope you all enjoy this one. Go check out my Bucky/reader fic as well. I'll probably update that one tomorrow.

Steve landed a few more hits on the punching bag before his stomach growled loudly.   
“Damn Steve, when was the last time you ate?” Bucky remarked as he pounded on his own punching bag next to Steve’s.  
“I might have forgotten to eat breakfast. Wanna go grab something from the cafeteria with me?”  
“Nah man, I still want to get another hour of workout in.”  
Steve nodded in understanding. “Okay, I’ll see you this evening for mission prep, then,” he said as he walked toward the showers. After he freshened up, Steve made his way through the cafeteria, grabbed a plate of the daily special, and then headed for his usual table in the corner that was somewhat secluded. He enjoyed eating in the cafeteria, but he didn’t really like to be bothered by the other employees. Occasionally, someone would stop at his table and say hello, but most days, Steve ate alone or with Bucky. When he was alone, he liked to draw in his sketchpad or people watch. He often liked to watch people having conversations and try to guess to himself what they were about.   
Today he pulled out his sketchpad and surveyed the room for someone or something that might be interesting to draw. That was when he noticed her, collecting her plate and chatting with another woman as they found a table together. She was all the way on the opposite side of the room, but she stood out to him. Steve had a great memory for faces, and he knew almost all of the people that worked at the compound, but he had never seen this woman before. He knew for certain he would have remembered her because she was stunning. He did recognize her friend, someone who worked in the tech department, but he figured this beautiful woman must have been a new hire. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, and she wore slacks and a baggy sweater. She seemed very out of place in the cafeteria; Steve could just sense the discomfort coming off her.   
As the mystery woman began eating her lunch, Steve put pencil to paper and captured her beauty in a sketch. For the next thirty minutes, he considered going over to her table multiple times. He wanted to introduce himself, but he thought that might seem weird since Captain America didn’t normally introduce himself to each new employee in the cafeteria. The thought of trying to speak to her also made him very nervous. He hadn’t even tried to date anyone since things ended with Sharon, and that hadn’t been a real relationship anyway, only some flirtation and a few kisses.   
Finally, he looked up from his finished sketch, but the woman had already disappeared. He resolved to come back at the same time tomorrow, and maybe he would have the nerve to talk to her then. 

Late that evening, he stood in the weapons room with Bucky, Sam, and Nat. They were all fitting into their gear and attaching their coms.   
“I have a friend to introduce you to, Steve,” Nat said in a conspiratorial voice.  
“Natasha, how many times do I have to tell you to stop trying to set me up with women?”  
“Maybe a man, then?” she quipped.  
“Very funny,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “I did meet a woman today though,” he admitted to the group.  
“Oh? Do tell,” Sam said with excitement.  
Steve felt a bit embarrassed now. “Well, I mean, I saw a woman. I didn’t actually meet her.”  
Bucky chuckled as he said under his breath, “Typical Stevie.”  
“Wait,” Natasha looked at him seriously, “you didn’t actually talk to her?”  
He shook his head.  
“You saw a beautiful woman and thought ‘why would she want to get to know Captain American. It’s probably better not to risk rejection?” Sam chimed in. Steve nodded his head in agreement. Sam slapped him on the arm and exclaimed, “Man! What the hell is wrong with you?! You could have any woman you want, but you refuse to even speak to any of them?”  
“I don’t want to be with someone who only wants to be with Captain America. You guys know that.”  
“That still doesn’t explain why you didn’t try to at least talk to the girl,” Natasha pressed.  
Steve’s face was bright red at this point. He looked to Bucky to save him from this miserable conversation, but his traitorous best friend simply shrugged his shoulders. “I was just nervous, okay. If I see her again, I’ll try to talk to her,” he finally admitted.  
“Is she an employee here?” Sam asked.  
“Yeah, I saw her at lunch.”  
“Do you know her name or department?” Natasha asked.  
“I have no idea.”  
“What did she look like?” Bucky asked.  
But Steve had finally caught on to what they were doing. “No, no we are not gonna do that. I’m not gonna let you guys look her up and tell me everything there is to know about her before I’ve even introduced myself to the girl.”  
“But why?” Sam said with frustration. “If you just gave us a description, we could tell you who she is and where she works, and then you could go talk to her any time you want.”  
“First of all, I’m not a stalker. Second, call me old fashion, but that’s not how we did things back in the day. You couldn’t look someone up on social media and figure out their whole life story. You had to put real effort in to get to know a person, and that’s how I still want it to be if I’m going to try to have a relationship with a woman.”  
There was dead silence as the other three simultaneously shook their heads and rolled their eyes at him. Then, suddenly, “I think that’s very admirable, Captain Rogers,” was heard over the coms. Steve was the most embarrassed he had ever been in his entire life.  
“I didn’t realize we had already turned the coms on,” he managed to say to Y/N.  
Bucky, Sam, and Nat were nearly collapsed with laughter at his expense.   
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. I assumed you knew they were on and didn’t care,” she said in an ashamed tone.   
He cleared his throat. “No worries, Y/N. Just please don’t go telling everyone about Captain America’s pathetic love life. I beg of you.”  
She giggled at that. “My lips are sealed.”


	3. You give me hope and consolation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my loves! Hope you enjoy this new chapter!  
Don't forget to check out my other fic, which is almost complete!

Clint Barton was the first Avenger you ever met in person, and you blamed Pepper Potts for your misfortune because you really hadn’t wanted to ever meet any of them.   
It was the day after your awkward lunch in the cafeteria. You had already promised yourself you would never go back there again. You had been up late, once again, talking Rogers, Barnes, Wilson, and Romanoff through their latest mission. It had been completed, but there were a few things that hadn’t gone according to plan. Today, you had to type up a report and get it to Pepper pronto.   
That’s where you hit a snag. Something was wrong with the company email, a hack possibly, but nobody could access it. You called Pepper, then, to ask her what to do about this finished report, hoping she could wait until the email was fixed. Sadly, she wanted you to hand-deliver it sometime before five. Pepper’s office was in the main compound building, the one where all the Avengers worked and lived and exercised and lounged, the one you avoided at all costs.   
At one o’clock, you had finally steeled yourself to deliver the report. You entered the main building, which immediately opened up to a giant living area with a huge wrap-around couch. The room appeared to be empty. You knew from looking at blueprints of the compound, that a hallway of living quarters was to the left and a hallway of offices was to the right. Just as you were turning toward the offices, you heard a voice behind you.  
“Who are you?” Clint Barton was poking his head up over the back of the couch.  
Your mouth went dry, and you tried to figure out why you let these people intimidate you so much. “We actually kind of know each other already.” He simply gave you a blank stare. “I’m Y/N, the voice that’s always in your ear on missions.”  
Realization dawned on his face. “Well I’ll be damned,” he stood up and came over to greet you. “It’s nice to finally put a face to the voice,” he said as he shook your hand.  
You smiled, feeling a little more comfortable now. “How is the new baby doing?”  
“She’s good, yeah, but four kids is a lot of work,” he admitted with a chuckle. “I might have to retire soon, and give Laura some proper help.”  
“Haven’t you retired like three times already? You just keep coming back, Barton,” you joked.  
He gave a smug grin. “Yeah that’s really my only fault: I just can’t quit being a hero.”  
You belted out a laugh. “Always so humble, you are.”  
“What are you doing here anyway?” he inquired.  
“Oh, email’s down, and I have to get this,” you held up the sealed mission report in your hand, “to Miss Potts.”  
“Man, this must be the first time you’ve ever left that cave of yours, huh?” he remarked, giving you a hard time.  
“Just because I’m not clamoring to spend every moment of my time with the sacred Avengers, doesn’t mean I never leave my office,” you defended in a joking manner.   
He held his hands up in surrender. “Fair enough. I’ll see you, or rather hear you, for the mission on Monday. Pepper’s office is the first one on the right.”  
“Great. Thanks, Barton!” You delivered the report and rushed back to your office, managing not to run into anyone else. You wondered for a moment if it would be strange now, speaking to Barton over the coms when you had talked in person before. You hoped it wouldn’t.  
When you returned to your desk, you saw that you had a missed call from Captain Rogers and groaned. What was with this man and his sudden desire to call you? You had gotten used to only having to do business with Pepper, except for during mission hours, and these new interactions with the team were slightly exhausting. He didn’t leave a message detailing what he wanted, so you were forced to give him a call back.   
You braced yourself as you dialed his number.  
“This is Steve,” he answered.  
You hesitated for a moment, a little speechless at the thought of calling him by his first name. “Umm, hello, Captain Rogers. You called me while I was out of the office, but you didn’t leave a message, so I was just checking in to see what you needed.”  
“Oh! Right!” he said as if he had already forgotten he had even called you, “There are some people I need you to look into.”  
“Oh? Like bad people, or?”  
“Suspicious people, yeah. I need you to have F.R.I.D.A.Y. track their activities, and then you will have to sort through everything she tracks and mark anything that is particularly suspicious.”  
“And what are we suspecting them of?” you inquired, feeling that the information was pertinent to you being able to do your job.  
“We believe a faction of Skrulls has taken root on earth, hiding in plain sight via their shapeshifting abilities. Although Skrulls are normally peaceful, we believe this faction to have evil intentions. Here are the names of the people we suspect…” he proceeded to list off fifteen names.  
You gave a low whistle. “That’s a lot of daily activities to sort through, Captain.”  
“I know. I’m sorry I’m putting so much on your plate, but it’s because you’re the best person for the job. Use F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s help as much as you can. And of course, you can call me if you need extra help with anything.”  
“Right. I’ll get right on it.”  
“Great. Thanks, Y/N.”  
“Oh, Captain Rogers?” you asked before he hung up.  
“Yeah?”  
“Did you talk to that girl yet,” you teased.  
You could tell by his silence what the answer would be. He finally gave a sigh, “No, not yet.”  
“Why not?” you prodded.  
“Well I didn’t see her today, so that didn’t help matters, but even if I had seen her, I probably would still have been a coward.”  
“What’s got you so afraid of a girl, huh?”  
“I know it sounds crazy, but I’m just as afraid of rejection as everybody else.”  
You smiled to yourself at how endearing this man could be. “I don’t think you should worry about that. I’m sure this girl would give you a shot, and not because Captain America is a hero, but because Steve Rogers is a really good man.”  
He gave a timid chuckle. “Thanks, Y/N. You’re much better at advice-giving than Bucky. Sometimes I don’t even know why I’m friends with that punk.”


	4. You give me strength to carry on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments if you enjoy! I always appreciate knowing what particular parts my readers like, and it also motivates me to write and update faster if I get lovely comments. If you like reading Bucky/reader fics as well, check out my other story Wish You Were Here which has twelve chapters already. Much love x

It was Saturday night, and Steve had great plans for the evening. A workout, a movie, a hot cup of tea, and at least eight hours of sleep were all on the roster. He had just sat back on the ridiculously oversized couch in the lounge, his cup of tea steeping on the coffee table next to a giant bowl of buttery popcorn, when Bucky walked in dressed for a night out.   
Steve looked at the opening credits of the movie longingly, already suspecting that this night would not be spent the way he had wanted.  
“Talk to that dame yet, Stevie?” Bucky asked as he sat on the couch, combing his long hair back.   
“I haven’t seen her since that first day.”  
“And that’s why you should let us look her up,” Natasha said as she walked in, also dressed in party clothes, “so you can arrange to ‘accidently’ run into her.”  
“I don’t want to force it. I want things to happen naturally.”  
Sam belted out a laugh as he entered the lounge. “Which means you’ll never speak to her, naturally.”  
“All right. Get dressed, Rogers. You’re going out with us,” Natasha ordered.  
“No, I’m good thanks. I just want to stay in tonight.”  
“That wasn’t an offer, Steve,” Natasha said, her voice sounding very threatening, “that was a demand.”  
“We’re gonna teach you how to properly talk to a woman,” Bucky clarified.   
Steve sighed, letting the annoyance show clearly on his face. “I know how to talk to women. I do it all the time. I don’t want to go out to some overcrowded bar or club and hit on a dame I have no real interest in just to please the likes of you three,” he finished with a glare at each of them.   
He had thought his little speech had been pretty intimidating, so he didn’t quite understand how he ended up at a ridiculously loud club in uncomfortable clothes an hour later. “I hate you,” he said to Sam as the two of them stood at the bar grabbing a few beers. Sam only shrugged in response, not caring much about the discomfort of Captain America.   
They found Bucky and Nat once again and she inquired to Steve, “Who’s the most attractive woman in here?”  
“What?” he said, almost spitting out his beer. “I’m not going to compare all the women in here on their looks. That’s fucked up Nat.”  
“Oh, save the lecture on feminism there, Mr. Gentleman. I am not asking you to compare and contrast. I just want to know who has caught your eye. Who would you be the most interested in talking to?”  
Steve huffed for what was probably the hundredth time that night, looked around for a moment, and nodded to a woman that was standing with two friends.   
“Oh, she’s attractive all right,” Sam noted. Steve rolled his eyes.   
“Okay, this is perfect,” Bucky said, using his mission strategy voice, “since there’s three of them, we all go over together. That way we can help Steve steer the conversation when he fucks up.”  
“When I fuck up?”  
“Yes, when. We all know you have no game, Steve. There’s really no point in denying it anymore.”  
“You three are the worst friends anyone could possibly have,” he said in a grumpy tone.  
Nat gave them a smug little wave as Bucky and Sam grabbed ahold of each of Steve’s arms and dragged him toward the group of women. They finally let go just before the three women noticed them approaching.   
“Hi, I’m Bucky,” the man said as he held his hand out for each of them to shake, “and this is Steve and Sam.”  
The three women raised their eyebrows at the men, whom they obviously recognized right away. Steve smiled awkwardly at the woman he had pointed out to his friends earlier. He thought he heard the other two whispering to each other something about “dibs.”  
“And you lovely ladies are?” Sam prompted them.  
“I’m Chloe,” “and I’m Jen,” the two that had been whispering said.  
“I’m Rebecca,” the one that Steve was still stupidly smiling at finally said, “I’m surprised you guys have time to go clubbing in between all the world-saving.”  
“We don’t save the world,” came out of Steve’s mouth for some reason.   
“Oh? Are the Avengers retired now?” Chloe asked with a confused look on her face.  
Bucky scratched the back of his neck, already annoyed at Steve’s horrible conversation skills. “Uh… what Steve means is, we haven’t really dealt with any world-ending threats in recent years, but we do deal with some pretty important missions every week. We’re definitely not retiring anytime soon.”  
“I’ve considered it though. Have you read Stark’s retirement package? It’s pretty great,” he said to Sam, and the man only returned a bewildered look.  
“Excuse us for a minute,” Bucky said to the women as he pulled Steve away for a word. “Why are you talking about retirement plans? The goal is to make them overlook the fact that you’re in your 90s, not to remind them with every sentence you speak,” Bucky hissed. Steve stood there silently, taking the lecture.   
The next two hours proceeded in the same sort of manner: Steve being forced by his friends to talk to multiple women and then failing miserably. By midnight, he finally convinced them to let him head home to the compound.   
He made it through three cups of tea and half of his movie before his phone rang. He was surprised anyone was calling him at this ungodly hour.  
“Do you ever sleep?” he answered once he saw that it was Y/N calling.  
“Do you, Captain?” but before he could answer that she said, “It’s a little hard to sleep with the amount of work you have me doing. I’m calling about the Skrull situation.”  
“Oh? I only gave you the names yesterday. Do you already have something?”  
“Yeah, one individual we found enough on to pull for an interrogation.”  
“Only one?” he asked, not realizing how rude he sounded.  
“Yes, only one, Captain. It’s only been one day, and I haven’t slept a wink since we last talked,” she said, a little exasperated.  
“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean that we can’t pull him for interrogation without spooking the others. We have to wait until we can at least get ten of them at the same time.”  
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll keep working on it,” but Steve could tell from her voice just how exhausted she was.  
“No. You need to go to sleep. This stuff can wait. Take Sunday off, and I’ll work on getting you some help with the Skrull stuff after the mission on Monday. Okay?”  
“I don’t need you to hire me an assistant, Cap.”  
“It won’t be an assistant; it will be someone from the team, probably.”  
“You’re going to send one of the Avengers to my office to help me sort through surveillance?”  
“Possibly. We’ll see,” he said, thinking he would assign the task to Sam as a means of torture if he didn’t already know the man wouldn’t take the job seriously. He thought Vision might be the best help for Y/N, but he didn’t say anything to her about it yet, wanting to talk to Vision first.  
“You never did tell me why you’re still up,” she said to him, changing the subject.  
“Uh, my friends are awful. They dragged me to a club, forced me to talk to women. Just a typical Saturday night, I suppose.”  
She chuckled on her end of the line, “They’re really on your case about that, huh?”  
“Yeah, it’s getting damn annoying, and the more they ride me about it, the more I want to dig my heels in and never speak to the girl just to spite them.”  
“Wow, you’re stubborn.”  
“So I’ve been told… I just wish I’d never said anything to them about her in the first place.”  
“You could just lie and say you asked her out but she turned you down,” Y/N suggested.  
“I can’t do that. I’m a terrible liar. They’ll see right through me.”  
“Stubborn and a terrible liar? Do you have any good qualities, Captain Rogers?”  
Steve grinned. “All right, go to sleep, you. You’re starting to sound delirious."


	5. And you're always there to lend a hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Please let me know what you think!

The second and third Avengers you ever met were Wanda and Vision.   
You had rested up on Sunday, as the Captain had ordered, and then oversaw a quick mission Monday morning. Not thirty minutes after the team had returned home, Vision was knocking on your office door with Wanda standing close behind him.  
“Can I help you?” you asked once you had opened it and fully taken in their presence.  
“Did Steve not inform you that I would be stopping by?” Vision wondered with a confused look on his face. You simply shook your head in response.  
“He said you needed extra eyes for a surveillance thing,” Wanda explained, “he asked Vision to help, but I wanted to come along as well. It’s strange that we’ve been talking all this time without properly meeting.” She was giving you a genuine smile, but you still couldn’t help feeling extremely self-conscious about having two Avengers in your crappy little office. Thankfully, your desk was large with multiple monitors, and you managed to scrounge up two extra chairs from somewhere else in the tech department. You quickly filled them in on the situation: the things that they needed to watch out for and flag.   
Vision seemed to have a very focused mind, listening intently to your brief and then remaining silent as he searched the information F.R.I.D.A.Y. had been collecting. Wanda, though, seemed to have come to chat with you rather than help. You were a bit annoyed at first, but then you remembered just how pleasant talking with Wanda could be. She was one of your favorite people to speak with over the coms, other than Captain Rogers, of course, and you soon found that speaking with her in person could be just as nice.   
“What’d you eat for lunch today, Y/N?” she inquired.  
“Hmm? Oh, I didn’t go to the cafeteria, so I just made myself some quinoa tacos in my little kitchenette.”  
“What’s a quinoa taco?” she looked very curious. You knew a bit about Wanda’s interest in food and cooking already.  
“Well, you can make them in a bunch of different ways, but I mix quinoa with peppers, onions, artichoke, and garlic and cook it ‘till it’s all crispy. Then I put it in a taco shell. It’s delicious.”  
“Wow. We’ll have to try that at our next class, Vis.” The man barely acknowledged she had said anything, and you raised one eyebrow at her in question.  
“I’m making Vision take a couples cooking class with me,” she provided. “He’s utterly terrible at it, but it’s something really fun to do together.”  
“I quite enjoy it, dear,” the man confirmed without tearing his eyes away from the monitor.   
The next day proceeded in much the same manner, you feeling a little guilty about letting Vision do much of the work as you chatted with Wanda. Just before lunch, Vision got called for a meeting with Mr. Stark.   
“I have to head back to the main building as well,” Wanda said after Vision left, “but you shouldn’t stay here for lunch. Go to the cafeteria, get some fresh air.”  
“Nah, I don’t really feel like… seeing people today.” You couldn’t think of a better objection.  
“Am I not people?” she joked. “Come on, I’ll walk with you until you get there.”  
You sighed in defeat and locked up your office before following her.   
As you walked together, Wanda told you an amusing story about Scott Lang and Peter Parker’s prank war. It made you laugh, but it also made you feel a little left out. It often felt like even though you were technically a part of the team, you weren’t really. The Avengers were gods among men, and you were just a nerd on a computer speaking in their ears.   
As you arrived outside the cafeteria, Wanda gave you a hug goodbye and said, “I won’t see you again until Friday, but call me if you need anything. Oh! And Steve said to remind you that you can always call him if you need help.”  
“Oh, um, right. Thanks, Wanda. I’ll see you on Friday.” She went on her way, and you entered the cafeteria to grab something to eat. You made a small plate of pasta and sat down at a table by yourself. You sort of wished you had brought a book or something so you didn’t look so lame. As you glanced around, your eyes fell on two very handsome men sitting all the way at the back of the cafeteria. You were surprised to find Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes eating in the common cafeteria, having assumed that they ate most of their meals in the Avengers’ quarters. Rogers had what seemed to be a notebook and a pencil sitting next to his plate, but he hadn’t opened it. Barnes was talking animatedly to his best friend, and as you wondered what the men might be talking about, you noticed Cap’s eyes fall on you. You quickly looked away, feeling embarrassed for having been caught gawking at them, and you unsuccessfully fought the blush that crept up your cheeks.  
You wondered if he knew who you were by your face, but then you reasoned that if he did, he probably would come to say ‘hello’ because Captain Rogers was nothing if not polite. You decided to pull out your phone and scroll through Twitter so that you didn’t feel quite as awkward. After, finishing your meal, having kept your eyes glued to your phone the entire time, you finally looked up. You thought you caught him looking at you once again, but he turned so quickly you could not be sure. You stood up from your table, still looking his way, wondering if you were imagining these weird glances between the two of you.   
You left the cafeteria quickly, rushing back to the privacy of your office. Captain Rogers made you feel things that you hadn’t felt for anyone in a very long time, and that terrified you. You didn’t want to make a fool of yourself, as you had a tendency to do. You vowed never to let Wanda or Lenny or anybody else talk you into going to that damned cafeteria again.


	6. In everything I do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one! And I'll be updating Wish You Were Here later tonight, so check that story out if you haven't already. Much love x

“She was there, wasn’t she,” Bucky interrogated him just after their lunch.  
“Maybe,” Steve said, trying to sound nonchalant.  
“I noticed you blushing like three different times. Why didn’t you point her out to me?”  
“Because, as I’ve told you a hundred times now, I don’t want you trying to talk to her before I pluck up the courage to.”  
“Afraid I’m gonna steal your girl?” Bucky smirked.  
“No, I just don’t want you trying to talk me up.”  
Bucky lost his smirk, suddenly becoming more serious. “You’re gonna have to talk to her eventually, Steve. What if she stops working here and you never see her again? You don’t even know her name. If you really feel like there might be something special there, you need to just take the risk.”  
Steve stared studiously at his feet, knowing his best friend was right, but still feeling nauseous at the thought of having to introduce himself to that beautiful woman.   
The next day, Steve was kicking himself for ever listening to James Buchanan Barnes because they were on their way to a couple’s cooking class, alongside Wanda and Vision.  
“Remind me why we’re doing this,” Steve said, letting the ridiculousness of the situation show in his voice.   
“I told you, Natasha says that women in this time period love when a man can cook; they don’t want to be the only ones in the kitchen and all that. I didn’t believe her at first, but then I saw how much the ladies love Wilson, and he’s a god in the kitchen, so that must be it.”  
“Maybe they just love him because he’s a good guy,” Steve suggested.  
Bucky looked appalled. “Who, Sam? No way that’s it.”  
Steve snorted at that and shook his head, wondering if those two would ever stop pretending that they weren’t friends.   
“Women do love a man that can cook,” Wanda informed them.  
Vision sighed, “I’m sorry. I’m really trying, Wanda.”  
She giggled at his frustration over having a single flaw. “It’s okay, Vis. I love you anyway.”  
“Why are you so grumpy about this? What’s so wrong with a bit of cooking?” Bucky admonished him.  
“It’s not the cooking that’s the problem, it’s having to be a couple with you, punk,” Steve grumbled.  
Bucky looked very amused, throwing a hand up over his heart, crying, “Stevie! You wound me!”  
They arrived at the class and took their places at the assigned counters. Bucky located two aprons which said “Caution: Extremely Hot” and handed one to Steve to put on. Meanwhile, Vision was tying on an apron that read “You’re gonna love my sausage,” and Steve and Bucky nearly died from laughter at the sight of it.   
“Hello class!” the teacher said. “Do we have any dish suggestions for today?”  
Wanda’s hand shot up, and the teacher nodded her way. “I’d like to learn how to make quinoa tacos.”   
“The hell is a quinoa?” Bucky whispered to Steve.  
“Some sort of health food, I think,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.  
“That’s an excellent suggestion, Wanda. Thank you!” The teacher listed off some primary ingredients they would need, giving them simple instructions along the way but reminding them that they could add in anything they wanted to create their desired flavor profiles.   
Wanda turned toward them just before they stuck their quinoa in the oven. “Don’t forget to add garlic. Y/N said it makes it taste wonderful.”  
“Y/N?” Steve inquired.  
“Yeah, she’s the one that told me about this dish, said she eats quinoa tacos all the time for lunch. I told Vision we just had to try them.”  
Bucky added the garlic as Steve nodded his head in understanding. “How’s she been, by the way? Is the surveillance still overwhelming her?” he asked Wanda while they waited for their food to bake.  
“I think she’s less stressed now. Vis was the perfect person to help her out,” she answered as she put a loving hand on Vision’s arm and smiled.  
“That’s great. I should probably call her later just to check-in. We haven’t talked since Saturday night.”  
Wanda nodded her head in agreement. When the quinoa was done, Bucky and Steve plated the dish and then each took a bite at the same time. Bucky’s eyes rolled back and Steve let out an embarrassing groan at how delicious the meal was. “This is incredible!” Bucky said to Wanda.   
“Do you think we could get the cafeteria to start serving these?” Steve pondered.  
“If Captain America asked them, I’m sure the answer would be ‘yes,” said Vision. They all chuckled at that.

Later that night, Steve lay in his bed sketching that girl once again. The image may not have been perfect, considering he was having to do it from memory, and he had never seen her up close to get all the fine details correct; but he loved sketching her. He imagined what she might look like in the summertime wearing a sundress, or what she would look like just after waking. He drew these images as they came to him, hoping that one day he would be there to witness them in person.  
Before dozing off, he dialed Y/N’s number as he told Wanda he would.  
“Hello?”  
“I tried your quinoa tacos,” he blurted out before even saying ‘hi.’ He immediately felt like an idiot.  
“What?” she asked plainly.  
“Uh, it’s Steve. Um, what I meant was I went to the same cooking class as Wanda and Vision, and we cooked quinoa tacos. Wanda told me it was your suggestion, and it was delicious.”  
“Um thanks, I guess. I didn’t realize you were dating someone now,” she replied, and Steve was genuinely confused.  
“What? I’m not.”  
“So you went to a couple’s cooking class alone?”  
Steve was silent for a moment, not wanting to admit the truth. “Well, actually I went with Bucky.” There was a burst of laughter over the line.  
“You and Barnes did couple’s cooking together? That’s priceless.” She was out of breath from laughing so much.   
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted. Said ladies love a man that can cook.”  
She snorted again in laughter. “Well, I suppose he’s not wrong.”  
“How was your day?” he asked her after she had quieted down.  
“Fine. Just worked, didn’t do anything exciting like couple’s pottery lessons with Black Widow or anything of that sort,” she responded.   
Steve smiled to himself. Y/N did have a wonderful sense of humor. She always kept missions from feeling too intense and serious when she was in his ear. They talked for a few more moments about work and each other’s day, and then Steve bid her goodnight.


	7. That's the wonder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

The fourth Avenger you ever met was Sam Wilson.  
It was Saturday, and you had been typing furiously on another mission briefing to send to Pepper. It was for a smaller recon mission that only Sergeant Barnes and Captain Rogers would be going on. Somehow, as your fingers flew across the keyboard, you injured your right ring finger. The bottom joint was swollen, and you could hardly move it. After much contemplation, you resigned that a visit to med bay was necessary. You knew you wouldn’t be able to type very fast with one hand, and you figured the medics could at least give you some pain medication so that you could work through the pain.  
Dr. Foss led you to a bed to sit on as he examined your finger. “It’s just a sprain,” he determined.  
“Oh, good.”  
“You’ll need to keep ice on it all day. It should feel better after a few days.”  
“What about typing? Got anything to help with that?”  
“Yeah, I can give you some low dose pain medication that should help you through the typing. I recommend though, not using that finger at all.”  
“Well, I can’t just not do my job for several days, doc.”  
“Of, course.” He walked off to retrieve your medication.  
“I’ve never seen you around before,” you heard from two beds over. You looked up to see the Falcon giving you a charming smile.  
“I’m Sam. You are?”  
“Um, I’m Y/N,” you responded.  
His eyebrows flew up. “Wait, wait, wait. THE Y/N? Wow.”  
“What?”  
He scratched the back of his head. “Nothing. It’s just… I didn’t expect you to be so…”  
“So…?”  
“Gorgeous.” His charming smile returned as he said it. Your cheeks instantly turned rosy-red, and you looked away.  
“It’s really nice to finally meet you,” he said, trying to keep the conversation flowing. You weren’t sure how to feel about Sam Wilson finding you attractive.   
“You too,” you managed to say, but you could hear the awkwardness in your voice.   
“How’d you hurt your finger?”   
“Umm… typing.”  
He chuckled a little, looking like he was wasn’t sure if you were joking. “Wow, sounds like you have a dangerous job.” You forced a laugh, but you didn’t really like the way he was poking fun at what you do for the team.  
“How’d you get that?” you countered, pointing at the large gash on his shoulder, which had clearly just been stitched up.  
“Oh, our resident metal-armed asshole got a little too happy with the knives in training this morning,” he answered with an annoyed tone.  
“I’m assuming you mean Sergeant Barnes?”  
“Yeah, that guy.”  
“I’ll make sure to address him as 'metal-armed asshole' on the next mission,” you said with a chuckle.  
Wilson’s eyes lit up. “Please do! I’ve been trying to make that name stick for ages.” You laughed harder, a little scandalized that Wilson actually believed you would ever refer to the Sergeant in such a way, and on a mission nonetheless.   
Your doctor finally came back, and you bid both men farewell, beelining back to your office. You managed to finish the mission briefing, emailing it to Pepper after a quick proofread. You looked at the time, noting that you had three more hours of work you could fit in. Lenny was coming to visit you at the compound tonight. You hadn’t seen her in ages, and she insisted that if you wouldn’t come to her, she would come to you. You planned to munch on Thai food while watching The Americans and sipping wine.   
You took another look at the Skrull surveillance, making more notes and finding more abnormalities. The hours sped by, and just before shutting down your computer, you needed to call Captain Rogers to answer a few questions you had written down while working. You dialed his number, but it rang without him picking up. You saved your list of questions, making a mental note to call him again tomorrow. You locked up your office and went through to lounge on your couch.   
Lenny arrived soon after, knocking on the front door to your living quarters, which was hardly ever used because you always went through the adjoining door to your office.   
“Wow, this is nice,” she said as you let her in.  
“Thanks. Everything Stark owns looks this nice, though. It’s not like I have special quarters or anything.”  
“Regardless, it’s a perk. If it weren’t for your ridiculous hours, I would say this job was wonderful for you.”  
“It is wonderful, Lenny. I don’t mind working a lot.” You poured the glasses of wine as she set the Thai take-out down on your small coffee table.   
“Any autographs yet?” she asked with a hopeful look in her eye.  
“No autographs, but I have met some of them now.”  
“Please tell me you met Captain America!” she pleaded.  
“No, not him. I met Hawkeye, Wanda, Vision, and Falcon.”  
“Wow,” she looked absolutely starry-eyed, “what are they like?”  
“Umm… people?” You ignored her dramatic eye roll at your complete unwillingness to elaborate.   
“Who’s your favorite to chat with out of all of them?” her interrogations about the Avengers never seemed to cease.  
“Wanda’s really nice, very cheerful… but I would say Captain Rogers and I get on the best. I didn’t expect him to be quite so funny, and our sense of humor is very similar.”  
“Wow, you’re so thirsty for him, and you haven’t even properly met him yet.”  
“Lenny!” you scolded her, but she simply smirked at you.   
You both fell silent when you heard a knock.  
“What’s that?” she wondered.  
“It sounded like it was coming from my office door. Stay here. You’re not allowed in my office, confidentiality and all that.” She nodded in understanding and pulled out her phone as she reclined on the couch.   
You went through the adjoining door and then opened the main door to your office. Nobody was there, but a lovely vase of flowers sat at your feet. You were completely flabbergasted. Who would be sending you flowers? You plucked the small card from the vase and opened it. Your surprise only grew as you realized who sent them. The card read, “Hi Y/N. I’ve been incredibly swamped all day with training and meetings, which is why I missed your call. Sam mentioned that you were in med bay with a hand injury earlier today, so I wanted to have this gift sent over for you. You better not be still trying to work while injured. Rest up tomorrow; in fact, Sundays are now officially always a work-free day for you. If I catch you working on a Sunday, there will be consequences :) Anyway, hope you enjoy these flowers and get better soon. Steve.”   
Your heart nearly stopped. Conflicting emotions washed over you. He was just concerned about a coworker, surely. But at the same time, you doubted he had sent Wilson a vase of flowers for his shoulder injury. The Captain didn’t even know what you looked like, but there were times that your phone conversations verged on flirty. This man was perplexing, a true wonder to you. You weren’t sure if you’d ever quite figure him out. You smiled to yourself at the thought of trying.


	8. The wonder of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit silly, but I hope you still enjoy it. Much love x

Steve was sketching her. Again. It was becoming embarrassing, really. He was pining after this woman like some love-struck fool, but he didn’t even know the sound of her voice. He wondered if perhaps he had built her up too much in his head. He often daydreamed about how witty and kind the woman might be, how honorable and loyal, how fun and alluring. What if she was nothing like the image in his head he had created of her? Even worse: what if she was all the things Steve imagined, but she had absolutely no interest in him?  
As he sat on the couch, a pencil held loosely in his hand, admiring the finished sketch, he became aware of a presence behind him.   
“So this is the dame you’ve been obsessed over?” Bucky said just behind Steve’s left ear.  
Steve whipped his head around and glared at his friend. “Bucky! I told you not to sneak up on me while I’m sketching. My drawings are private.”  
“Steve, I don’t want to know about what you do with your drawings of beautiful women in private. Spare me,” the irritating man said with a smirk.  
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Steve replied, clearly very frustrated. Now that Bucky knew what the woman looked like, it was only a matter of time before the man tracked her down and forced Steve to talk to her in a very public, very humiliating display.   
“She’s very nice lookin’. I can see why she caught your eye.”  
“Yeah… she’s gorgeous.”  
“She looks a little familiar.”  
“You’ve seen her around before?” Steve asked earnestly.  
“I’m not sure, probably just in the cafeteria,” the longhaired man answered.  
“Well, it doesn’t matter because I don’t want to know who she is until I can ask her myself.”

After Steve’s relaxing morning, the whole team met in the gym for training. This part of the job was always the most enjoyable for him. Exercise always cleared his mind, and well, if he was being honest, there were very few physical activities he didn’t excel at. He started with a jog, Sam by his side. They hadn’t stopped running together since they first met. Next, he moved on to the extra-strength punching bags with Bucky. There was weapons training, enhanced ability refining in the case of individuals such as Peter, Scott, and Wanda, and one-on-one sparring.   
The sparring matches were always Bucky’s favorite, and Steve had to keep a close eye on his friend to make sure he didn’t make any illegal moves. The last match with Sam had resulted in Bucky pulling out a hidden knife and slashing the man on his shoulder. “I would never not have any knives on me in a real fight!” Bucky insisted as Steve gave him a full pat-down before his next sparring.   
“It doesn’t matter. It’s the principle of the exercise: hand combat only. No abilities. No weapons.”  
“It’s a waste of time is what it is,” Bucky pouted.  
“Yeah, well, how about you quit being so obsessed with trying to seriously injure our teammates during a simple training exercise, Buck.”  
“Fine,” the man conceded through gritted teeth. 

That evening, Tony demanded they all attend his monthly poker night. Steve hated these nights because he was such a terrible liar. He couldn’t bluff his way through a single round. Not to mention, Tony had all the money in the world, so Steve wasn’t sure why he needed to win all of theirs in card games. The only person better than Tony at poker was Natasha, and the woman rarely bothered to show up to these dreadful poker nights, despite Tony insisting they were a mandatory team-building activity.   
Sam and Bucky loved the poker nights. They would each drink dozens of beers, even though they didn’t do much for Bucky, and laugh their faces off at the fact that Steve was first one out every time. They didn’t seem to care much when Tony kicked their asses as well.   
“All right, tonight we’re making this a little more interesting,” Tony announced, and Steve immediately groaned. Interesting for Tony usually meant a pain in the ass for everyone else.   
“Define interesting,” said Vision.   
“Well, I figured you all were tired of losing so much cash to me, so I thought we could bet tasks or dares.”  
“I already hate the sound of this,” Steve grumbled.  
“Whoever wins each hand gets to assign a task or a dare to one of the losers,” Tony clarified.   
“What sorts of tasks?” Bucky asked. “This better not all be a ploy to get me to suck your dick, Stark,” he warned, his face arranged in a threatening look, but there was a glimmer of humor in his eyes.   
“A bit strange that you like to bring up my dick in every conversation, Barnes. Anyone else find that strange?” Tony looked around the table in question.  
Bucky simply rolled his eyes.   
“It can be anything from who has to do the cleaning in the common area all week to who will put the hulk-buster on the next time this one over here gets a little angry,” he finally explained, pointing a thumb at Bruce.   
And so they played poker for hours under Tony’s new rules, which resulted in Clint having to be the bartender at the next cocktail party, Wanda having to train the newbies for a month, and Bucky having to say only nice things to Sam for two weeks. Most regrettably of all, though, was when Bucky assigned Steve the task of speaking to the woman in the cafeteria the very next time he saw her. Just as Steve started to object to the ridiculous request, his phone began to ring.  
“I’ve got to take this,” he told them before he walked into a different room.  
“It’s Steve,” he answered on the line, already knowing who was calling.  
“Captain Rogers, hi. I hope I’m not bothering you. I just wanted to say thank you for the flowers. My finger is much better today, and I’ll be fine to work again tomorrow.”  
“Yeah, no worries. I’m glad you’re okay. And no, you’re not bothering me. I’m actually glad you called; you saved me from my losing streak at poker night.”  
“Oh? The team has a poker night?”  
“Yeah, it’s awful. And Tony’s made it even worse by having us bet tasks rather than money.”  
“That sounds… pretty childish.”  
“It is, which means Bucky is loving it. He’s forcing me to talk to that girl I saw.”  
“That’s a low blow.”  
“Yup. As I’ve said before, he’s a punk.”  
She chuckled. “So how many rounds have you lost?”  
“All of them. I’m dreadful at poker.”  
“Oh, right, I remember you saying you were bad at lying. That doesn’t translate well in a poker game.”  
Steve sighed sadly. “No, it doesn’t.”  
“Okay, here’s my advice: when you bluff, don’t fidget, don’t cross your arms, and stare them down like they are some bad guy you fought. They’ll have no choice, but to think you have a good hand if you do it right.”  
“You play poker?”  
“I did back in college. Haven’t played in a long time, though.”  
Steve contemplated what he was about to say for a moment. “You should come to the next poker night. The team would be happy to have a new player here.”  
“Umm, maybe, I’ll think about it,” but Steve could hear the hesitation in her voice.   
“Well, no pressure, but I’d love for you to come. Anyway, Bucky and I will be doing the mission briefing with Pepper tomorrow, and then I guess I’ll hear you over the coms for that on Tuesday.”  
“Yeah, I’m not looking forward to putting up with you and Barnes all by myself. What a nightmare,” she teased.  
“When you say ‘you and Barnes,’ you really just mean Barnes. He is the only nightmare around here. I’m an angel.”   
Steve meant it as a joke, but Y/N sounded almost serious when she softly said, “Yeah…”  
They ended the call not long after, and Steve reluctantly returned to the poker table. Following Y/N’s advice, he managed to win a hand for the very first time. He assigned Tony the task of letting them bet only money at the next poker night. Not even the five hands that Steve proceeded to lose right after could take the joy from his face.


	9. And when you smile the world is brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might think I'm a little evil after reaching the end of this chapter :) I promise to publish the next one tomorrow as not to leave you hating me for too long. Check out my one-shot titled America's Apple Pie if you haven't yet. Much love x

Today was dreadfully gloomy. At the end of January, biting winds and mushy snow weren’t surprising, but you still cursed every minute of it; not that you went outside much, but you could still feel the miserable chill in your bones from the comforts of your office. You wore two sweaters, fuzzy socks, snug snow boots, thick leggings, and a knit scarf. Your hands cringed every time they met the frosty keyboard. You were just considering putting on some fingerless gloves to warm your palms up when someone knocked at your office door. You rose from your chair and shuffled around your desk to open it.   
The Winter Soldier stood before you.   
“Um, hi. What can I help you with?” you asked him, feeling suddenly self-conscious about all the ridiculous looking winter clothing you were wearing.   
“Oh my god,” you thought you heard him say under his breath.  
“Excuse me?”  
His eyes became panicked. “Nothing! It’s nothing. Y/N? You’re Y/N, right?”  
“Yes… Was there a reason you came down to my office Sergeant Barnes?”  
He scrunched his nose for a moment as if he had genuinely forgotten what he was doing here, but then you saw the thought come back to him, and he said, “I have a question about the mission briefing, and Pepper was busy, so she suggested I stop by and ask you about it directly.”  
“Right. I’d be happy to help. Come in.” You motioned to the rickety chair that Vision typically sat in when he was helping you with surveillance.   
“Jesus, it’s burning up in here,” he remarked, fanning his face as he took a seat. He studied your assortment of layered clothes before asking, “Do you have a cold or somethin’?”  
“What? Oh, this?” you gestured to your scarf, “No, I just chill easily. I hate the winter.”  
“I see. Steve used to be that way too, before the serum…” but he got a funny look on his face when he mentioned Captain Rogers.  
“Anyway… the briefing?” you raised your eyebrow as you prompted.  
“Oh, right!” he pulled a rolled-up collection of papers out of his back pocket, clearly the briefing that Pepper had given him and the Captain. He then gestured to three different underlined parts, saying, “Can you explain these to me?”  
And so you did, carefully articulating exactly what Barnes and Rogers needed to know for the mission. The man nodded along as you spoke, apparently understanding the information much better hearing it straight from your mouth.   
“I don’t know why you don’t just present the mission briefings since you’re the one that writes them up,” he finally said.  
You felt your face flush at the thought of standing before all the Avengers and having to speak. “I’m not that great with people,” you confessed to him.  
“You talk to us multiple times a week over the coms,” he pointed out.  
“That’s different. I’m comfortable here in my office, speaking without having to look anyone in the eye. I am not good with presentations. That’s why Pepper does the briefings.”  
He was silent, but he stared at you for a long moment with the strangest look on his face.  
“Stop looking at me like that.”  
“Like what?”   
“Like you recognize me from somewhere.”  
“Maybe I do,” he said with a smirk.  
“Oh? Have I met the Winter Soldier before without remembering?”  
He looked like he desperately wanted to tell you something, but then he schooled his face. “No, I’m just messing with you.” He stood from his chair, said, “Thanks for the help,” and quickly left your office.   
You pondered his strange behavior for a moment as you put on your fingerless gloves and got back to typing. 

The next day at six in the morning, you got a notification that Rogers and Barnes had turned on their coms for the mission.   
“Sergeant. Captain. Just wanted to warn you that your coms are on, in case you were planning on talking about your love lives again.”  
Barnes snorted into the com. “You just missed it. Steve was telling me that he hasn’t gotten laid in…. what was it? Seventy years?”  
You could practically hear Captain Rogers’ eye roll. “Oh, go fuck yourself, Bucky.”  
“Don’t need to. I’ve gotten laid in this decade.”  
You then heard what sounded like a punch followed by Barnes letting out a curse.  
“I thought I said to stop talking about your love lives, not to give me the details, Barnes,” you chastised him.   
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I guess I just feel like you’re one of the pals now that I’ve met you in person.”  
Before you could respond, Rogers asked, “You’ve met Y/N now too? Am I the only one who hasn’t met you in person?”  
“No. Lord Stark hasn’t graced me with his presence just yet either,” you joked, and both the guys chuckled.   
Steve sounded a bit guilty as he said, “Well, I am the team leader. I suppose it’s a bit rude that I haven’t come by to see you yet.”  
“You’re welcome in my office anytime, Captain,” you said and then immediately cringed as it had come out much more seductively than you meant it to.   
Thankfully, the guys didn’t mention it, and the mission passed successfully with zero hang-ups. 

The weather was just as awful as the day before, and the thought of the warm lentil soup you knew the cafeteria would be serving seemed heavenly. You wrapped a parka over your sweater and pulled a soft beanie over your hair before making the trek form your office building to the tantalizing meal. Once you arrived, you grabbed the largest bowl you could find, ladled some soup into it, and then selected a nice-sized portion of toasted baguette to eat with it. The table you had sat at twice before was empty once again, so you quickly took your seat and dubbed it “your table.”   
You were so enthralled by the hearty, lentil goodness in your bowl, that you didn’t notice Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes until you were almost finished. The Captain was smiling at you from his table, and you wondered if perhaps Barnes had told him you were Y/N, now that the man knew what you looked like. As Rogers stood from his table and started walking over to you, you assumed he felt obligated to introduce himself after the hard time you had given him during the mission.   
Which was why you were incredibly confused when he reached your table and nervously said, “Hello, I’m Steve Rogers. You are?”


	10. You touch my hand and I'm a king.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, I didn't leave you on that cliffhanger for too long! It's the moment you've all been waiting for, and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I have a new Bucky x reader multi-chapter fic titled A Rolling Stone with one chapter up, so I'm shamelessly begging you all to check that out as well. Much love x

Bucky had been acting strange since yesterday. Steve counted at least five times that his friend had looked at him, opened his mouth as if to say something, and then promptly closed it as though he had changed his mind. Bucky rarely held back from saying exactly what he was thinking at any given time, so Steve found his recent behavior completely abnormal.  
They were in the cafeteria for lunch again, having wanted a hearty meal after the exhausting mission that morning. Bucky was fiddling with his mashed potatoes as he told Steve about something stupid Peter had done yesterday in a bored tone.  
“What’s wrong, Buck?” Steve interrupted him.  
“Huh? Nothing…”  
Steve gave him a knowing look. “We’ve been friends for nearly a century. I know when something weird is going on with you.”  
Bucky let out a miserable sigh. “Well there’s something that I know, that I should probably tell you, but, well, you said yourself that this is something that you wouldn’t want to know. I’m just trying to figure out if it makes me a worse pal to tell you or not tell you.”  
“Well, that was cryptic.”  
Bucky was silent for a long time, clearly at war with himself, then he said, “You know that gal you’ve been pinin’ after?”  
“Yeah, I know. I have to talk to her the next time I see her. I didn’t forget the bet, Buck… wait, is she here now? Is that what this is about?” Steve quickly surveyed the room, and a smile spread across his face as he spotted her sitting alone at her usual table.  
“About that—“  
“You can tell me later, Buck. I’m gonna go talk to her now before I lose my nerve.”  
“But Steve, there’s something I think I should tell you before you walk over there.”  
“Bucky,” Steve said in a frustrated tone, already rising from his seat, “you’ve been hounding me to do this for ages, and now that I finally have the guts to speak to the woman, you don’t want me to? What’s your deal?” But he didn’t wait for Bucky to answer him. Steve was walking toward her, unable to keep the goofy grin off his face.  
He reached her table, and when she looked up at him, he said in what he hoped sounded like a smooth tone, “Hello, I’m Steve Rogers. You are?” She remained silent though, confusion etched across her face.  
“You don’t know who I am?” she finally questioned.  
There was a tiny part of Steve’s brain that was telling him her voice was familiar, but the stubborn man ignored it and persevered. “Should I?… Look, I’m gonna be completely honest. I’ve seen you in here a few times, and I… I think you’re… beautiful. I was nervous about speaking to you before, but I wanted to introduce myself and get to know you… if that’s okay with you, of course.”  
As he spoke, Steve saw the confusion on her face turn to complete shock.  
“I’m… I’m the woman… you…”  
As she struggled to form a sentence, that small part of Steve’s brain finally shouted at him. Suddenly, Steve recognized the voice he knew so well. A voice that gave him guidance on missions and friendly encouragement in daily life. A voice that Steve had flirted with a few times because it was always easier to chat up a dame when you couldn’t see her face. A voice he had been concerned about when she was injured. A voice he had sent flowers to. A voice that had heard him wax poetically about a beautiful woman he had spotted in the cafeteria. A voice that had given him advice on how to speak to the aforementioned woman.  
She was Y/N. Y/N was her. The bubbly personality on the coms and the mysterious beauty at lunch were one and the same, and god was it suddenly a thousand degrees in this room. Steve’s face was flaming as he came to the embarrassing realization that he had spoken about Y/N to Y/N. What an incredible idiot he was!  
“I’m just gonna…” he was pointing at the exit with his thumb, “I’m gonna go.” He quickly turned away from her and took quick steps toward the door.  
He assumed that she remained at her table as she hadn’t said a word while he walked away. When he was outside in the blistering cold, though, he suddenly felt a soft, small hand grabbing hold of his. He turned around as she said, “Steve, wait a second.”  
He fought against his humiliation enough to look into her eyes. “You’ve never called me that before.”  
She gave him a gentle smile. “Well, now that you introduced yourself, I figured we could be on a first-name basis.”  
He didn’t know what to say to that, so he just looked down at her expectantly, wondering why exactly she had followed him out into the cold.  
“This is… a lot… to wrap my head around. I’m gonna need a bit of time to process it… but I wanted to assure you that I’m not not interested.”  
The hope returned to Steve’s face. “What does that mean, then? Where do we go from here?”  
“Well, we already know each other pretty well, so we can skip that step. As I said, I need to process this, but we’ll talk soon, okay?… Oh, and let’s not tell the team. We should act the same as before during missions, yeah?”  
“Bucky already knows. He saw me talking to you,” he admitted.  
“Okay. Threaten him with his life to keep his mouth shut, then,” she said with a shrug.  
“You think I could kill Bucky?” Steve joked in an effort to ease some of the awkwardness.  
“Course not, tell him I’ll arrange to have him killed and that he’ll never see it coming.”  
Steve chuckled for a moment, but then silence fell over them. Wintery air rushed all around them, and Steve couldn’t think of a single thing to say to her. She was even more gorgeous up close. Steve was subconsciously filling in all the tiny details of her face that he had had to imagine before.  
“I’ll call you, Steve,” she told him before walking away. He stood there for a long time, watching her disappear behind flurries of snow.


	11. Your kiss to me is worth a fortune.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here ya go, my loves :) Please also check out my Bucky x reader series (A Rolling Stone) and the Bucky x reader one-shot I just posted today (Pressed). Enjoy this new chapter!

Holy shit! Holy shit! Captain Rogers, Steve, the intimidating, unbelievably handsome, adorably awkward, and unknowingly charming man that you had secretly harbored a crush on since your first month here somehow found you attractive. You still couldn’t quite believe that the woman he had been too nervous to introduce himself to had been you. You thought back to all the moments Steve had spoken about the woman, you, over the coms or on the phone. It made you blush to remember the way he had described your gentle allure and loveliness from afar.   
Once back in your quarters, you studied yourself in the mirror in an effort to see what Steve saw. You had never been into self-deprecation, but you also had a heightened self-awareness and knew when someone was completely out of your league. Not to mention, when you saw beauty in yourself, you always thought of it as a subtle beauty, not one to catch a man’s eye from across a crowded room. Perhaps, Steve just had a thing for frumpy winter clothing, you mused. 

You had thought you’d be ready to call Steve by the next day, but every time you picked up your phone, something held you back from dialing his number. Steve held true to his word that he would give you the time you needed to process the strange turn of events. You knew that the two of you had good chemistry and banter over the phone, and if there was an attraction on both ends, then it seemed there was nothing to hesitate about. Alternatively, Steve was technically your boss, and even though conversation was easy between the two of you over the phone, there was a high possibility that things would just be awkward if you spent time together in person.   
There was another mission on Friday, and this one involved the entire team. It lasted most of the day. You still hadn’t called Steve, and you could tell by the frustration in his voice over the coms that he wanted to ask you what you were waiting for, but he couldn’t say a word on the subject without the rest of the team hearing. You felt a little guilty about leaving him waiting, but you just could not speak to him properly until you’d had a chance to fully collect your thoughts. You were also very surprised that Sergeant Barnes had endured the entire mission without making allusions to or jokes about what was going on between you and Steve; he must have taken your threat seriously.   
“The full team has returned to the compound safely,” Steve said late in the evening on Friday.  
“That’s great. Another successful mission in the books. Get some sleep you guys,” you answered over the coms.  
It was silent for a moment. Eventually, Steve said in a sad voice, “All thanks to you, Y/N. You get some sleep as well.” Then his com disconnected.   
Your heart nearly broke, and you lay in bed restless for many hours that night wondering what was wrong with you. Why were you torturing this kind and earnest man? You resolved to call Lenny first thing in the morning to have her talk you through the situation and motivate you to call Steve. 

On Saturday, at around one PM, a time you knew Lenny would be awake, you dialed your friend’s number.  
“Hey girl, what’s up?” she answered.   
“I have a bit of a complicated situation on my hands,” you confessed to her.  
“Oooh, I love complicated situations. Do tell.” You heard the excitement in her voice. Lenny had always been a sucker for drama and gossip of any kind.   
“Captain America has the hots for me.”  
“WHAT?!”  
You pulled your cellphone away from your ear in an effort to not have your eardrum busted. You told her the whole story then, explaining how he had seen you in the cafeteria and not known it was the same woman who speaks over the coms on missions. She asked a thousand questions in between each sentence you got out, but you persevered through it.  
“I’m failing to see what the problem is,” she stated plainly once you had finished your story.   
“He’s my boss.”  
“I thought Pepper was your boss.”  
“Well she is, but Steve also assigns things for me to do, so he’s kind of my boss too.”  
“From the way you’ve explained things to me, it seems like Steve is more of just a teammate slash coworker type. And even if he is kind of your boss, you guys could just talk to Pepper and Mr. Stark about it, and I’m sure they would be cool with it.”  
“I don’t know… everybody has to be completely focused on missions, and if Steve and I were dating there is a risk of distraction.”  
“You can’t tell me you guys don’t already have a laugh over the coms during missions.”  
“Well yeah, but—“  
“And you also can’t tell me that two team members dating is unprecedented because I know for a fact that Black Widow and the Hulk are an item.”  
“Romanoff and Banner are completely professional when it comes to work.”  
“And what makes you think you and Steve would be incapable of managing that same level of professionalism?”  
“I wouldn’t be able to focus. I’d constantly be worried about him getting killed or something.”  
“But you do that already. You have liked the guy for months, and you’re always worried about him. The fact that he returns your interest doesn’t change anything.”  
“What if we date and it ends badly and we still have to work together. I’ll be the one that feels obligated to find a new job. There aren’t other job opportunities for Captain America.”  
“That’s a valid concern, but I don’t think you should let it stop you from being happy. Talk to Steve and tell him you’re worried about things interfering with your work. Don’t just mope around and ghost the poor guy. That man is absolutely gorgeous and a national treasure; you’d be mad to not even give him a chance to try to work things out and make you comfortable.”  
You pondered on your friend’s words for a few hours. By seven that night, your mind had settled and you found your determination. You could talk to Steve, tell him all your feelings and worries, and you knew he would be supportive and understanding in every way. Better yet, you could stand in front of the god-like man, look him in the eye, and tell him exactly what you wanted from him. You were a strong woman; you knew you could do it.

It was Saturday night, and what you had learned about the Avengers in your time here was that they all liked to go out on Saturday nights. All of them but Steve. If the man stayed true to his routine, he’d be watching a movie or something, and nobody else would be there. You could surprise him and have a chat in complete privacy.   
Before your mind had enough time to process your actions, you were walking into the main compound building, looking at the huge couch in the common area. It was empty, so you dared to explore the hallway where you knew all the personal quarters would be. You found Steve’s easily enough, remembering your way around from those blueprints you had looked at, and knocked on his door before you lost your nerve.  
You weren’t waiting long before he opened it, his eyebrows raised at you in surprise.  
“Um, hi. What are you doing here?”  
“Steve, I like you… like a lot. I’ve liked you pretty much since I started here. And I always thought of you as Steve, even if I didn’t have the nerve to call you by that name. I promise you my interest wasn’t in Captain America… but when I thought about my feelings for you before, it was always just a fantasy. It could never be real because you’re you: larger than life and the most attractive person I’ve ever seen. And I’m just me: a nerd who’s sometimes a little funny, works constantly, and avoids most people at all costs. Suddenly, a relationship between us has become a real possibility, and I’m sorry it took me a few days to wrap my head around that… but it was a lot to process.”  
He had been patient, listening intently as you spoke. “So…?” he asked, wondering what the conclusion of all your internal conflict had been.  
“So, I want to be with you. Things will be complicated, and we have a lot to discuss and work out, but I’m not gonna let that stop me from being with my dream guy,” you were breathless as you admitted it.  
He had a smug little smile on his face. “Your dream guy, huh?”  
You narrowed your eyes at him. “If we’re gonna start in with the teasing, I won’t hesitate to mention all the times you droned on about the stunning woman in the cafeteria.”  
He put a hand over his eyes as his face turned red. “God, don’t remind.”   
You chuckled at him, happy to have the upper hand once again.   
Once his hand fell away from his face, you took a step closer, mouth completely silent but using your eyes to speak volumes as you pierced his bright blue ones.   
He quickly comprehended your unspoken words and closed the rest of the gap between you. You melted into him as his lips brushed yours. Your hips were on fire where he had gently placed his palms. You stayed pressed together for a long moment, savoring the pleasant foreignness of each other’s touch, before he finally pulled away and leaned his forehead against yours.   
“That was even better than I had imagined,” he whispered.  
“Same,” you agreed but then inquired, “Imagined that a lot, have you?”  
“An embarrassing amount,” he admitted softly.  
“Same,” you concurred to ease his mind.   
“Want to watch a movie in the common area? We could talk about those things you said we needed to discuss,” he finally asked you after what felt like hours had passed of the two of you staring dopily into each other’s eyes.  
“That sounds nice. I get to pick the movie, though. I’m not watching some black and white film from the 30s.”  
“You really think I sit around watching those sorts of films all the time?”  
“Don’t you?” you said in an accusatory tone.  
“Well, only half the time. I like movies from this decade too, you know.”


	12. Your love for me is everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take the time to leave a comment if you enjoyed this chapter. I appreciate each and every one of them (even constructive criticism), and I try to make an effort to reply to as many as I can :)

“Who’s that?” Nat’s voice hissed.

“Um, guys, I think we should just go back outside for a minute,” came Bucky’s panicked tone.

“What why?” Sam said loudly from the doorway, and Steve cringed as his brain fully awoke.

Steve Rogers was such a fucking idiot. He had known the rest of the team would get home around one in the morning. He had planned to make sure Y/N was long gone by then, considering she was very concerned about how everyone would react to their new relationship and wanted to tell them delicately. But one movie had turned into two, and then Y/N had dozed off, and Steve had planned to let her sleep for twenty more minutes before walking her back to her quarters. Steve was a dunce though because he had fallen asleep next to her, his arm still around her shoulders. Now, the team had come home and found them out when their relationship had only begun mere hours ago. This was Steve’s worst nightmare.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Steve heard Sam exclaim once the man finally got a look at who was on the couch. Steve wondered if it would be best to keep his eyes shut and pretend to still be sleeping until they all got bored and went off to their rooms.

He felt a rough slap against his face and regretfully opened his eyes. “Who the hell is this?” Nat interrogated him.

Before Steve could answer, Sam jumped in. “That’s Y/N.”

Steve looked at Bucky who had his palms over his eyes in frustration, clearly feeling bad that he wasn’t able to stop this from happening.

“I always knew the two of you would make a good pair,” Wanda chimed in.

“Okay, a show of hands, who knew about this?” Tony sounded angry. Steve cringed some more. Bucky slowly raised his hand.

Tony then turned his irritated gaze to Steve. “How long has this been going on?”

“How long’s what been going on?” Y/N said in a sleepy voice with her eyes still closed. Suddenly, her eyes flew open as she registered what was going on. “Oh fuck.”

“Like five hours,” Steve said in answer to Tony’s question. To Y/N he mouthed “I’m so sorry.”

“Not the cuddle session. I mean this,” Tony gestured his finger wildly at the two of them, “relationship.”

“Literally five hours, Tony. It just happened tonight, and then we both accidentally fell asleep while watching movies.”

“Awe, how adorable,” cooed Clint.

“All right, first thing in the morning, you two are having a meeting with Pepper and me,” Tony declared before stalking off to his quarters. Steve closed his eyes for a long moment and let out a defeated groan.

“What happened to the woman from the cafeteria?” Natasha wondered.

“This is she,” Y/N replied with a smug smile.

“No shit?” said Sam.

“Shit.” Bucky confirmed.

“All right,” Vision interrupted them, “I believe we all need some sleep. We should give Steve and Y/N some privacy.”

The moment they were alone again, Steve turned to Y/N before she had a chance to say anything. “Please don’t let that whole shit show scare you off again. I’m really sorry that we couldn’t control how they found out, but I’m more determined than ever to smooth things out and make this work with you.”

“Steve—”

“I mean you just make me feel so comfortable and relaxed. I don’t think I’ve ever dozed off while watching a movie before, but with you tucked into my side, it just felt like home, and I was out like a light. That has to mean something, right? That what we have, despite how new it is, is incredibly special?”

“Will you let me speak?” Y/N scolded him. His mouth fell silent in shame. “I’m not going to run from this. You’re right, this feels really special. And most of the team reacted neutrally to us being together. It seems Tony will be the only one that we have a problem with. Hopefully, we can sort that out in the morning.”

He kissed her, then, for only the second time. It was just as consuming as the first. It felt like a culmination of the slowest burn for each other, a longing from afar mixed with shy conversations over the phone; yet, it also felt like an explosion that had ignited from a very short fuse. How had they been them for forever yet only moments? It was too baffling for Steve to sort out while his lips were locked on hers. He had this feeling bubbling up, though, one that he thought might be hasty but also completely genuine. He wasn’t sure how long he could hold the feeling off.

“Will you walk me back?” She said as she pulled away. Her lips were swollen now, and Steve reached his hand up to gently graze them with his thumb.

“Of course.”

Steve ran back to his room to put on a jacket and some boots. He grabbed a spare coat for Y/N, since no matter how bundled up she got, she was apparently eternally cold. He draped it over her shoulders once he had returned to the common area.

“This swallows me,” she laughed, a saccharine giggle that just might have been Steve’s favorite sound in the world.

“Can’t have you turning into a popsicle. Trust me, I know what that’s like,” Steve quipped.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’d come back from it seventy years later, though.”

“Probably not,” he agreed.

He kept his arm around her waist as they trekked through the dreadful night air, reaching her quarters not long after. As they stood at her door, Steve felt that strange feeling bubbling up once again.

“Y/N,” he started to tell her but thought better of it.

“What is it, Steve?”

“I probably shouldn’t say. It’s too soon.”

“I get it. Things are confusing because we’ve only just met, but not really. I don’t think you should let our strange situation stop you from just saying what you feel though. It won’t scare me away, I promise.”

He gave her a firm kiss, then said, “I think I’m already falling in love with you… and I don’t know if it started tonight or if it started four months ago with just your calming voice over the coms. I have no way to know for certain, but it’s happening regardless… and I don’t think I could stop it if I tried.”

“Then don’t try.”


	13. I guess I'll never know the reason why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still can't believe this story has done so well. Thank you to all 191 of you who have left kudos so far. And a huge thanks to everyone who takes the time to comment on each chapter. Your comments make me so incredibly happy. There are only two chapters of this story left, so I encourage you all to check out my other fics if you haven't already. I have another Steve x reader multi-chapter fic planned out in my head, but I'm not sure when the first chapter will go up. Just please be patient and don't forget about me once The Wonder of You is complete. Enjoy :)

Your palms were sweaty as you looked at the clock. The seconds were ticking by, and you willed them to stop. This is the last thing in the world you were prepared for: the team’s first mission since everyone found out you and Steve were in a relationship.

The meeting with Pepper and Tony had been awkward. Tony had been particularly nosy about how it had all happened, but Pepper had shut down his most prying questions. You and Steve had to sign some HR papers and received a brief lecture about the importance of remaining professional during the hours of work. You both nodded along, hoping to get out of the meeting as quickly as possible.

Now, you sat at your desk, tapping your fingers anxiously, awaiting the dreaded moment that everyone’s coms would switch on and you’d have to endure the discomfort of this new dynamic. Your plan was to pretend it never happened, to act as if you and Steve weren’t an item now, but you suspected the likes of Barnes, Wilson, Barton, and Romanoff wouldn’t be so kind as to let you ignore it.

“Can you hear me,” it was Steve’s voice coming through.

“Loud and clear, Captain.”

“Y/N, no one else is on yet. I just wanted to remind you to relax. Just do your job the same as you always do, which is phenomenal by the way, and everything will be fine.”

“Steve, I’ve been panicking all morning. I honestly don’t know if I can do this.”

“I have no doubt you can do this, love. Just take a deep breath. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“You could die.”

He chuckled softly at your pessimism. “There’s always that possibility. It’s no different now than before.”

Your computer dinged, signaling that Scott Lang and Sam Wilson had switched their coms on.

“Can you hear me, Lang and Wilson?”

“Affirmative,” Sam answered while Scott gave a simple, “Yup.”

“All right. Waiting on Barnes, Romanoff, and Barton to turn on their coms. Does anyone have status on them?”

“Bucky’s still fixing his hair. He’s redone his bun three times now.”

“Fuck off, Sam,” you heard the man say as he switched his com on.

The Falcon didn’t respond to his friend’s jibe, instead taking the opportunity to turn his teasing to you. “Has Cap taken you on a hot date yet, Y/N?”

Steve jumped in before you had to answer. “Sam, knock it off.”

“What? It was an innocent question. Everybody wants to know where you took her for your first date.”

You remained silent, thinking it was better to let Steve handle this. You heard your boyfriend’s annoyed sigh. “We haven’t gotten the chance to have a proper date yet. So drop it.”

You noted that Romanoff and Barton were now on the coms.

“But it’s been like five days. Why haven’t you taken the lady out yet, Stevie?” Bucky said, a teasing tone oozing from his lips. You could almost hear Steve’s blush over the coms.

“How about you take her to that Italian place on 75th?” Romanoff suggested.

“Take her to see that new Fast and Furious movie,” Sam offered. You heard two other team members making gagging noises.

“Do not take her to see that terrible movie. Why don’t you take her dancing like back in the old days,” Bucky supplied.

“Here’s a thought,” you could hear Steve’s annoyance building, “let’s not talk about where I’m going to take my date while my date is listening in on the coms.”

“What? I don’t get a say in where we go?” You couldn’t help yourself.

You heard several laughs over the coms.

“That’s not what I meant, Y/N.”

“Sure, Captain.”

“Now, does anyone else have anything to say on the subject of Y/N and I before we arrive on site? Because I swear if I hear one word about it during the mission, you’ll be training the new recruit teams for the rest of eternity. Understood?”

The authority in his voice gave you chills in a very good way.

There was a slew of understood’s from the team before the jet landed. You soon realized that you had been silly to worry. Once Steve had shut his friends down about their nosiness, they hadn’t said another word. That was one of the things you admired so much about Steve: the way he was able to switch so smoothly between Captain America and Steve Rogers. Sure, his friends would rag on Steve all day for being nervous and stubborn, but as soon as he was speaking to them as the Captain, they rarely defied him.

Steve did not, in fact, die. The mission was a success, the team arriving back at around six in the evening. You hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so you went to your quarters to heat up some leftovers in the microwave. As you stood staring through the microwave door at the spinning bowl, your phone rang.

“Hello?”

“We could have that date tonight, if you’d like.” He sounded rather exhausted from the mission, and you knew he was only suggesting it because his friends had made him feel bad for not taking you out yet.

“I’d love to, Steve, but I have a ton of surveillance to sort through tonight. How about tomorrow?”

“Yeah, tomorrow works. I still really want to see you tonight, though.”

“Well, unless you want to stare at surveillance all evening with me…” you joked.

Steve apparently thought you were serious. “I wouldn’t mind doing that as long as it meant spending time with you.”

You smiled at how sweet he could be. The microwave dinged.

“What was that?”

“Leftovers I’m reheating.”

“Don’t eat that. I’ll pick us both up something from the cafeteria and head over.”

“You don’t have to do that, Steve.”

“Y/N, it’s fine, really. I’ll see you soon.”

You ran to the bathroom and made an effort to calm down your wild hair before rushing back to your office and attempting to straighten it up a bit. You hadn’t planned on anyone else being here today, so you had five different dirty tea mugs setting around, along with several granola bar wrappers. Steve was knocking on your office door not long after.

You let him in, and as soon as he set the containers of food down on your desk, he pulled you in for a fervent kiss. “God, I missed you,” he muttered against your lips.

“You just saw me the day before yesterday,” you giggled.

“I know, but it’s like now that I’ve seen your face and gotten to spend time with you in person, it drives me mad having to talk to you over the coms without being able to look at that beautiful smile.”

You felt your face heat up. “I know what you mean… although I do enjoy hearing you speak in your Captain voice.”

His eyes darkened as he gave you a sultry look. “I can use my Captain voice anytime you want, love.” He pulled your mouth back to his, slipping his tongue past your lips. It was near impossible to keep yourself from moaning.

After many long moments, you finally had the willpower to pull away. “Steve, I really have to get some work done. So if you’re gonna be here, you can’t be trying to seduce me like that.”

“Fine,” he let out with a teasing sigh, “I’ll save the seduction for our date tomorrow.”

You both sat at the two chairs behind your desk, and you pulled the food containers over to you. “What’d you get us for dinner?”

“Quinoa tacos.”

“You really like them that much?”

“I’m obsessed with them.”


	14. You love me as you do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my Bucky x reader one-shot titled Absolute Magnitude for some teeth-rotting fluff. This chapter is pretty fluffy as well. Enjoy :)

Steve have decided to take the advice of two out of three of his friends. He’d take Y/N to dinner at that Italian place, and then he had something quite romantic planned for the dancing Bucky had suggested. He definitely wouldn’t be taking her to see a Fast and Furious movie; sometimes he wondered how Sam ever got any dates. Maybe Bucky was right, perhaps women only liked him for his good cooking.

He walked over to Y/N’s quarters to pick her up, and when she opened the door, Steve’s jaw just about fell off. She always looked beautiful, but Steve had never seen her so dolled up. She was in a cream-colored sweater that was far more form-fitting than the ones she typically wore, and she had on some sort of designer looking knit skirt that flared out just above her kneecaps. Her legs were covered in black tights to keep warm, and she had on these sexy looking combat style boots. He looked into her Y/E/C eyes and noticed that her eyelashes seemed fuller as she batted them nervously at him. Her hair was down, which he didn’t think he’d ever seen before; she always wore it in a bun. He couldn’t resist pulling her in for a tender kiss and running his fingers through her loose locks.

“Do I look okay?” she asked him before chewing on her bottom lip.

“Okay? Y/N, you look phenomenal.”

“So do you.” Her voice was soft and a lovely shade of pink was coloring her cheeks.

Steve glanced down at his own outfit, not thinking much of it. He’d put on a button-up plaid shirt, a tie, and a sweater over that for extra warmth. He was in jeans, but they were nice ones, and he made sure to wear some dressier shoes.

“Are you sure I don’t look like a nerd?” he asked with a smirk and one eyebrow raised.

She laughed at his foolishness. “I don’t think you could ever look like a nerd, Steve.”

“Not even in suspenders?”

She contemplated for a long moment and then shook her head. “I’m imagining it right now, and it’s very sexy.”

It was his turn to blush as a grin spread across his face. “I promise you, love, I used to look very nerdy no matter what I wore. Just ask Bucky.” He offered her his arm. “Ready?”

She grabbed a long coat from a hook near the door and took his arm. “Ready.”

When they arrived in the parking garage she let out an incredulous cackle. “We’re taking your motorcycle? Really?”

“What do you have against my motorcycle?” he said, feeling a little defensive over his baby.

“Nothing. It’s just really cold outside, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

He straddled the bike and started it. “That’s the best time to ride, trust me. I’ll keep you warm, as long as you sit close to me.”

“So this is just a ploy to get me to wrap my arms around you?”

“Yup.” He handed her the helmet, which she reluctantly placed over her carefully styled hair, and then she climbed onto the seat behind him. Thankfully, her long coat covered her thighs, and Steve hoped the heat of his back against her chest would be enough to keep her from freezing to death. Once she had settled in, her delicate arms gripping his stomach firmly, Steve sped off and out of the compound.

In only took about five minutes for her to admit he had been right. “This is wonderful, Steve!” she shouted from behind him. He turned his head slightly to catch a glimpse of her joyful face. Her nose and ears were already turning pink from the frosty wind, but her mouth held the biggest grin Steve had ever seen.

“I told you so!”

“It feels like the wind is refreshing my mind! Wiping all my troubles away!”

“Good! I don’t want you troubled about one damned thing tonight, Sweetheart!”

Dinner was nice; they had easy conversation over hearty plates of pasta and garlic bread. Y/N told him a bit about her family who lived in New York City. She also told him about her effervescent friend Lenny who had been begging for Avengers’ autographs that Y/N had refused to get for her. Steve made a mental note to have some autographs from the team sent to this friend without Y/N’s knowledge.

She had a bit of wine with her dinner, but Steve didn’t think it was enough to get her drunk. She just seemed a little more free-spirited, not so nervous. When they returned to his bike, she slid back on behind him without hesitation this time. And when he drove in the opposite direction of the compound, she shouted over the wind, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see! Just trust me!”

He felt her arms squeeze tighter in response, and she left a sweet kiss on the nape of his neck. Her lips had been icy from the wind in her face, but the spot where they had touched him burned fiercely. Steve drove for twenty minutes before they finally reached the Hudson. He drove all the way down a long pier before Y/N gasped in surprise at the cozy-looking mini-yacht waiting for them.

“Steve! You really didn’t have to do all this for our first date.”

“I wanted to. Anything for you. Besides, Robert has owed me a favor for years. I’m finally cashing in on that.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What’d you save his life or something?”

He simply shrugged.

Steve led her onto the ornate boat. He noted that the music he had requested was already playing softly.

“Elvis Presley? Wasn’t he a little after your time?”

“Hey, I got caught up on the decades I missed… mostly.”

There was clear amusement in her eyes.

“So, Bucky told me I should take my gal dancing.” He bowed a little and held his hand out for her to take. “Will you do me the honors?”

And the two of them danced for at least ten of Presley’s romantic ballads, finishing the evening with Steve’s personal favorite “The Wonder of You.”

The night had gone on for eternity, and he had figured Y/N would be pretty tired when they got back to the compound. He certainly hadn’t expected her to attack him with her lips before they’d even made it out of the parking garage. They had been standing next to his bike still, so when she wrapped her legs around him, he moved to rest her ass on the seat. He stood in front of her, their hips grinding together in such a tantalizing way.

“Let’s get you back to your quarters,” Steve interrupted before they ended up in a very compromising situation in a not so private place.

“Yours are closer,” she whispered before biting his ear.

He moaned and ground his hips even harder against her.

“Are you sure you want to risk having to walk past the team in the common room.”

“It’ll be fine, Steve,” she assured him. He grabbed her hand, and they ran through the compound with glee.

Sure enough, Sam and Bucky were in the common area, and the two punks wolf-whistled as the antsy couple sped past them without a word. Steve made sure to flip them off before disappearing down the hallway. Once they were safely behind his bedroom door, and he had properly locked it, Steve didn’t take his hands off Y/N again for the entire night.


	15. That's the wonder, the wonder of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The final installment! I can now say that the beginning of my next Steve/reader series will be up around August 30th, so keep an eye out. I hope this ending is satisfying for all my lovely readers. Check out my most recent one-shot Absolute Magnitude if you haven't already. It's full of Bucky/reader fluff :D

“Tonight calls for a celebration.” Steve had told you over the phone that morning.

“Oh? What are we celebrating?”

“The fact that we detained twelve of the suspected Skrull faction, of course. And all thanks to you, Y/N.”

“No, not all thanks to me. You guys did the groundwork; I just stared at surveillance until my eyes bled.”

“Exactly. You put tons of hours into this mission. Our part only lasted fifteen minutes. You’re the one we’re celebrating tonight.”

You were a naturally modest person, so his insistence on giving you all the credit was making you uncomfortable. “I’m only coming to this celebration if we agree right now that it was a group effort.”

He let out a long sigh. “Fine.”

“So, while I have you on the line. Care to tell me why Lenny is currently selling Avengers’ autographs on eBay?”

It was silent for a moment before Steve finally fessed up. “Shit, is she really? I thought she wanted them for herself, not to sell.”

“Yeah, there was a very specific reason why I didn’t get them for her in the first place. I love my best friend, but she’s a little ridiculous sometimes.”

“All right, no more handing out autographs to your friends without your express permission.” From the tone of his voice, you could tell he was smirking.

When you arrived at the Avengers common area, it looked drastically different from the times you had seen it before. There were pillows and blankets covering every inch of the huge wrap-around couch. The coffee table held six large buckets of fresh popcorn as well as an array of gummy sweets and chocolates. The lights were already dimmed low, and you noticed for the first time the giant surround sound speakers that you suspected were typically hidden inside the walls.

Most of the team were standing at the kitchen counter mixing various alcoholic beverages. Steve made his way over to you once he spotted you gawking at the celebratory movie night setup.

“I’m going to kill Sam,” he muttered before giving you a quick kiss on the lips.

“What’s he done this time?”

“He somehow got a majority vote for a Fast and Furious marathon.”

You groaned. “Anyway we can skip it and have some actual fun in your room?”

Steve’s eyes darkened at the tantalizing thought. “I doubt the team will let us get away with that.”

“Damn, guess that just gives me something to look forward to after… how many movies is it again?”

“Like a thousand, I think.”

You groaned once more.

The two of you joined the others in preparing drinks. Natasha mixed you a delicious tasting vodka drink, and you sat at a barstool sipping it, waiting for everyone to be ready to start the first movie.

“Hey Stevie, what’d’ya say we get into Thor’s liquor?”

“I dunno, Bucky. That turns out to be a bad idea every time we do it.”

“Cause you’re a wuss. You couldn’t handle your liquor pre-serum, and you can’t handle it now.”

You watched your boyfriend’s eyes narrow at his best friend. You could see the determination to prove Bucky wrong fall across his face. “Pour me a glass, then.”

Bucky was wearing a shit-eating grin. “My pleasure.” He filled both of their glasses to the brim and held his up to Steve in toast. “Cheers, my friend.”

Steve rolled his eyes as he clinked his glass to Bucky’s. “Cheers, punk.”

A series of oooooh’s and giggles from the couch made the three of you turn your heads to see what Clint, Sam, and Tony were looking at. They were holding some sort of notebook, flipping through it eagerly. You turned to Steve in confusion and found his face to be bright red. He looked both angry and embarrassed.

“Hey, put it down you nosy bastards.” There was that Captain voice again.

“What is it, Steve?” You still had no idea what was going on.

Steve was marching over to them, desperately trying to grab the notepad from the childish men.

“It’s his sketchbook!” Clint shouted with mirth.

“And there’s an embarrassing number of sketches of you,” Tony added.

Now your face was just as red as Steve’s. He finally grabbed the sketchpad from Sam’s grasp.

“You know,” you spoke up in defense of your adorable boyfriend, “it’s not very nice to look through people’s private things.”

“He shouldn’t have left it sitting on the couch,” Sam defended.

“That’s no excuse, Wilson.”

“Back to last names, now, are we?”

“When you’re being mean to Steve we are,” you shot back with a glare and a shrug. “And as for you, Stark. I’ll be winning all your money at the next poker night.”

“Who said you were invited?”

“Steve did, of course.” Tony shook his head disapprovingly in response. 

Steve returned to you at the counter, sketchbook in hand. Bucky had wandered over to the comfy couch, so you and Steve were the only ones remaining in the kitchen area. He sat the sketchbook down in front of you.

“I guess you’ll be wanting to see those now.” He sounded exasperated, and his face was still very pink.

You reached your hand out, caressing his heated cheek. “No. I only want to see them if and when you want to show me,” you assured him as you stared into his bright blue eyes.

He gave you a nervous smile. “I’ve been drawing you since that first day I saw you in the cafeteria. You were just so beautiful, I felt like it was a crime not to try to capture it on paper.”

You gave him a sweet kiss, never knowing any other way to respond to his constant flattery.

“I do want you to see them,” he told you. “I’ve been meaning to show them to you since our first date. I just didn’t know how to bring it up without it being weird.”

“I promise you I don’t think it’s weird.” You returned your gaze down to the pad. “Let’s have a look, then.”

You didn’t know what you were expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. You couldn’t breathe because the woman Steve had drawn was a goddess.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get all the details perfect,” he muttered, his voice still very nervous.

“Are you kidding me? Steve these are flawless. The only problem is that that can’t be me. She’s far more good-looking.”

“Hey! Don’t insult my girlfriend like that. I promise you, this is exactly what I see when I look at you. You’re stunning, Y/N.”

Your heart swelled so fully in your chest. You kissed him once more, this time far more soundly. “I love you, Steve.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”


End file.
